Interview with Degi, CTO and Co-Founder of MyExpatTaxes

MyExpatTaxes is excited to introduce our interview series, where we dive into the people behind the scenes. With today's interview, I would like to highlight our valued Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Co-Founder, Degi. Degi helps to promote our technological vision through innovative work at MyExpatTaxes.

Can you explain what a CTO does at MyExpatTaxes and how your role has changed throughout the years?

Degi: Thank you for having me! As the CTO at MyExpatTaxes, my role is all about building the technical vision through evaluating potential technologies and applications in the US tax industry while staying true to our company goals. In my position, I oversee all the tech infrastructure, from how we are building our platform to how we ensure the security and privacy of our users.

Though, my job includes more than just technical aspects, it also includes innovation. Whether it's evaluating a new tool, process, or trend, my team and I are constantly working to improve the platform.

You mentioned innovation—how do you foster that within your tech team?

Degi: The development team is innovative, but I could say that about the entire company. In a corporation this stems from company cultures. I believe a company culture needs to feel empowering and comfortable in order to allow for new ideas to flourish amongst any team. But, I would say that MyExpatTaxes does this well. Through our team, we combine different backgrounds, experiences, and interests to gather true innovation through the strengths of the team.

At MyExpatTaxes, we encourage the employees to experiment and make mistakes, within reason. I mean, how can a company thrive without thinking outside of the box?

MyExpatTaxes deals with sensitive tax information. How do you ensure the security of user data?

Degi: Securing user data is the primary reason for our tech team. Security and Data Privacy of our customers is one of the most important things here at MyExpatTaxes. This is a built-in trait of our application and platform. We ensure data is protected with our multilayered security architecture in combination with a highly experienced team.

Our tech team has a deeply ingrained awareness of data privacy that ensures the integrity and data protection for our customers. They ensure we are evolving with data protection laws like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as an EU-based company. Compliance is taken very seriously as tax information is very sensitive and personal.

Scalability is another big issue for growing companies. How do you handle that at MyExpatTaxes?

Degi: Scalability was one aspect of the MyExpatTaxes vision, which means that it was always in the back of our minds. This is why we built a team that has decades of experience building and running highly available and scalable applications. As MyExpatTaxes continues to grow, so does our architecture, for the current and future growth of our customer base.

We are constantly monitoring performance indicators whether it's at our busiest time of the year or in terms of expanding into a new market. We are always ready to take the next steps to ensure a smooth journey.

What's been the biggest technical challenge you've faced, and how did you overcome it?

Degi: I would say one of the biggest technical challenge has been knowing how much time to invest into certain technologies. Innovation is highly encouraged, but it needs to be balanced appropriately. Our time is valuable, so our development team is constantly discussing where our efforts are best placed.

For example, artificial intelligent (AI) is an ever-growing topic in IT. AI has enormous potential and a variety of possibilities to apply to our domains. This is why we are currently exploring how AI can help us deliver a better user experience by delivering accurate tax returns more efficiently, which will result in lower turn-around times.

Speaking of user experience, how do you ensure the technology enhances the overall experience for your customers?

Degi: Well, MyExpatTaxes acknowledged right from the start that the UI/UX needed to be one of the pillars on which our platform is built. Nathalie, our CEO and Co-Founder, is a US Expat herself and has her own stories to tell when it comes to her experience of paying her US tax fees. With that in mind, we set out to provide a solution that helps expats to file their taxes while providing an excellent experience beyond what is available on the market.

Another honorable mention is our customers. They are so valuable for making the platform more user-friendly. Without feedback from users, we wouldn't have such a clear guide to what definitely needs improvement. So, for any of our customers listening, keep telling us how you feel about the MyExpatTaxes platform!

Finally, as a co-founder and CTO, what's your vision for the future of MyExpatTaxes?

Degi: My vision is the same as the company: to create software that is easy and fun to use, at an affordable price, with excellent customer service. Technology forms one of our cornerstones that is helping us to reach that goal by ensuring that our platform is a reliable, secure, and scalable platform.

As technology continues to evolve, so will the MyExpatTaxes platform. New tools and features will be added to enhance the user experience and make US expat tax filing more efficient and manageable. As we grow, our core mission will always be to make US filing easier.

Thank you for joining me today, Degi! I know you’re busy! It has been great getting a behind-the-scenes look into the tech side of MyExpatTaxes.

Degi: Thank you for having me! I am excited to see how MyExpatTaxes progresses with the new technologies that are becoming available. My team is constantly working to make MyExpatTaxes the go-to platform for US expats. I hope this interview helps provide a little more insight into the tech team, because they are working hard!

If you’d like to know more about the MyExpatTaxes Team, head over to our About Us page!